Lolita (or Tokitae) the killer whale belongs to the endangered Southern Resident clan of the Pacific Northwest. She and other young relatives were captured from their family and home in 1970. Lolita is the sole survivor of all the Southern Resident killer whales that were captured for entertainment purposes. She has spent the past 44 years in the same illegal sized tank at the Miami Seaquarium. Her male companion, Hugo, another Southern Resident, died from a brain aneurysm after he repeatedly bashed his head on the tank walls. This means Lolita has not seen another individual of her species in 35 years. She is kept with Pacific white-sided dolphins.
On January 27th, NOAA is expected to announce its decision as to whether or not Lolita should be protected under the Endangered Species Act—the very one that protects her entire family. Lolita was excluded from the ESA because she was captured prior to the enlistment. Last year NOAA accepted public comments, of which over 19,000 people submitted.
Please do not buy a ticket to any facility that displays marine mammals for entertainment purposes. Learn more about Lolita at [ Ссылка ]. Also, please sign the following petition to encourage NOAA to protect Lolita so that she may be retired to a seaside sanctuary with the possibility of reunion with her family, including her presumed mother, L-25 Ocean Sun: [ Ссылка ].
